First-generation student sketches a future at UC Clermont
College helps draw path from Mexico to a career in animation
When Marlene Galvan walked across the stage in the University of Cincinnati’s Nippert Stadium to receive her associate degree last spring, the moment represented more than just two years of hard work.
A first-generation college student, Galvan grew up in Goshen, Ohio, where her family settled after immigrating to the United States. As a child, she often served as a translator for her parents and navigated the challenges of learning English while maintaining Spanish at home. Before starting kindergarten, an English tutor visited her house to help prepare her for school, and she participated in English as a Second Language programs through fifth grade.
College was not always part of the plan.
“I started thinking about college in the middle of my senior year,” Galvan said.
A counselor at Goshen High School told her about UC Clermont's Digital Media program and the opportunity to complete her first two years close to home before transferring to UC’s Uptown campus. She visited campus for orientation and quickly felt at ease.
Marlene Galvan graduated from UC Clermont with an associate degree in digital media in spring 2026; she now studies Games and Animation at UC’s College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning. photo/Jill Rimer
“The environment was inviting,” she said. “The staff was kind and uplifting and explained everything well.”
Though college was a new possibility, her passion for art had been clear from an early age.
“Ever since art class in kindergarten, I knew what I wanted to do,” she said. “I loved to draw.”
That passion flourished in UC Clermont's Digital Media program. One of Galvan’s favorite experiences was creating an advertising animation for La Michoacana, a Mexican ice cream shop in Springdale, Ohio, as part of an animation course. She also enjoyed the program's emphasis on creativity and collaboration through projects that allowed students to develop original work and present it to their classmates.
Outside the classroom, Galvan found another creative outlet through her internship with UC Clermont Marketing and Communications, where she designs graphics for academic events, programs and other college initiatives.
“I love creating different designs every time,” she said. “I like having more creative freedom.”
This fall, she is continuing her education at UC's College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning, where she majors in Games and Animation. While she is interested in game design, animation is where Galvan sees her future.
“I'd like to be an animator for a big animation company someday,” she said.
The road to that future has been made easier through financial assistance, including scholarships and a Pell Grant, which helped reduce financial stress and allowed her to focus on her studies.
Diploma now in hand, Galvan still finds it difficult to believe how far she has come.
As the first in my family to earn a college degree, I felt like if I started, I had to finish.
Marlene Galvan UC Clermont digital media alum; DAAP student
“At graduation, I just thought, ‘Wow, I can't believe it. A college degree,’” she said. “I started crying when I saw my parents.”
The achievement carries special significance for her family. Her parents did not finish high school in Mexico and began working at a young age. Their sacrifices helped make her education possible.
“As the first in my family to earn a college degree, I felt like if I started, I had to finish,” she said. “I'm very committed. I don't like to leave things halfway done.”
That determination is also the advice she shares with future digital media students.
“Take your time on projects because they can become part of your portfolio,” she said, noting that her UC Clermont animation projects helped her gain admission to DAAP.
For Galvan, every project, class and late-night creative session has been another step toward a dream years in the making. And as she prepares for her next chapter, she is carrying more than her own ambitions forward.
“I’m fulfilling my parents’ dreams,” Galvan said. “They believed this was possible for me before I did. Now, I'm seeing it become a reality.”
Top featured photo: Marlene Galvan interned in graphic design for the UC Clermont’s marketing department while attending classes on campus. photo/Danny Kidd
About UC Clermont
UC Clermont College is in Clermont County on 95 beautifully wooded acres in Batavia Township. The college is an accredited, open-access regional campus offering more than 70 associate degrees, certificates, bachelor’s degrees and micro-credentials. UC Clermont is part of the nationally recognized University of Cincinnati. For more information, call 513-556-5400 or visit ucclermont.edu.
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